Why a GS over an M35/45/Nissan Fuga?
#76
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Good points dseag2
You noticed! Yeah, Wilma nailed me pretty good. The new roof will be going on a little after New Years and the Lexus is a lease that is up 12/28 so the car will be going back soon...unfortunately.
Originally Posted by merlin70
Nice pics, now sell that GS so you can put on a new roof! Major shingle damage bro!
#77
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Originally Posted by dseag2
Re: the GS, Lexus has hit the nail on the head with the typical luxury car buyer as their sales have proven. The GS is a decent balance of luxury and sport, with more emphasis on luxury. They have also built great brand loyalty that keeps their clients coming back. With that said, I'm not the typical luxury car buyer and I want a little more sport than Lexus has to offer. Everyone seems to think that upgrading the engine is suddenly going to put the GS in a different league, but I'm not so sure. In my test drives of the GS430, I thought the engine pulled strong. The reason I didn't buy one was because of the isolated feeling I got from the car and the fact that the handling wasn't as crisp as the M45. There was also more throttle lag. A new engine won't change that. From my perspective, Lexus needs to add a Sport package that offers more road feel and better handling and eliminate some of the throttle lag as they did with the LS430. That should help broaden the appeal. A new engine alone won't do it... plus, I doubt most of the mainstream buyers of the GS will care whether they're driving a 430 or a 460.
In any case, to the original poster don't think having two of the same cars in your garage is a bad thing if you're pretty much going to drive your car exclusively. If the two cars are interchangeable, then I could see the point that it's kind of weird. But if you're always going to be driving your car and your wife is always going to be driving her car, you should buy the car that you feel is superior. And it seems from your posts that you feel that the M45 is the superior car.
#78
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jrock,
good finish.
I ended up w/ a second Infiniti for the reasons you stated. We won't swap cars much and I like the M just a little bit more... not that much more, but a more none-the-less.
Since we won't be swapping cars really, having 2 of the same is no issue.
good finish.
I ended up w/ a second Infiniti for the reasons you stated. We won't swap cars much and I like the M just a little bit more... not that much more, but a more none-the-less.
Since we won't be swapping cars really, having 2 of the same is no issue.
#79
I considered the IS350 for about 10 minutes once I finally looked at one at the dealership. The GS, about 2 minutes and walked out. I can blame Scott for pushing me to get my M , it's ****ing awesome
#80
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Originally Posted by texsn95
I considered the IS350 for about 10 minutes once I finally looked at one at the dealership. The GS, about 2 minutes and walked out. I can blame Scott for pushing me to get my M , it's ****ing awesome
#82
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I just can't get past the M35/45 rear end styling, the tailights seem to be to big, other than that I think the car looks nice, but I like the GS styling a lot better.
#83
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Originally Posted by texsn95
Thanks for clarifying
by: Gavin Conway
Nissan Fuga
The Nissan Fuga
IN THIS FEATURE
Nissan's posh brand
Handsome, though not distinctive
Brand-building
Nissan recently invited 4Car to Japan to drive, among others, the Fuga luxury saloon. It's a BMW 5-Series challenger and it's already gone on sale in the US as the Infiniti M35/45 (Infiniti is Nissan's posh brand, much in the way that Lexus is Toyota's premium label).
So far, so mildly engaging, but why should we care?
Because this car could come to Europe as part of Nissan's roll-out of the Infiniti brand over here. That's unlikely to happen before the end of the decade, though, with the absence of a competitive diesel engine being one of the major hold-ups. Nissan also has to decide whether to set up a separate dealer network for the brand, so it's still early days.
Nissan Fuga
The Fuga equipment list is huge
In the US, the Infiniti M35/45 is offered with a 280bhp 3.5-litre V6 or a 335bhp 4.5-litre V8. The M rides on a rear-wheel drive platform, although four-wheel drive is an option.
And the equipment list is huge - something that'll be true for any Infinitis that come our way. This includes rear-view cameras, lane departure warning systems, intelligent cruise control, surround sound stereo, adaptive front lighting, DVD sat nav and TV and Bluetooth/phone compatibility. The lot, in other words.
We tried the rear-drive Fuga on some very challenging roads outside Tokyo. Visually, first impressions were of a car with a very American look, with oversized tail lights and fussy headlight details. It's got a very "Infiniti family" look to the grille, which also won't mean much to a European audience. Overall, this is a handsome car, albeit not very distinctive.
Climb aboard and you'll find very accommodating front chairs with loads of room. The dash layout is simple and intuitive, and quite good to look at. And the quality of fit and finish really is Lexus grade. Space in the back is superb, too, feeling at least one class up. It swallowed my 6'2" frame with loads of room to spare.
The driving experience is right up there, too. The ride quality is absorbent and the steering accurate with good feel. Double wishbones up front and a multilink setup at the rear helps deliver tied-down body control. During quick left/right transitions, though, you do notice the car's weight, which is substantial at around 1,730kgs.
Nissan Fuga
350GT likely to be priced at Lexus GS300
We reckon this chassis, tuned for Europe, would be competitive with the likes of the Lexus GS300. We'd also guess that that's where Nissan would aim the Fuga's price tag (thankfully, it won't be called Fuga in Europe). Whether this will be a car to worry BMW and Mercedes remains to be seen, but Lexus has certainly put the wind up the Germans.
#85
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Originally Posted by texsn95
So what's your point? I've read that article more than once before.
http://www.renault.com/renault_com/fr/main/index.aspx
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